National University Policies

National University has Policies and Procedures for Student Discipline, Academic Dishonesty, Civility, Reasons for Probation, Suspension and Dismissal that are described in the Catalog under the Policy and Procedures section. National University also has a process for providing accommodation to students with documented special needs (see Students with Disabilities under the Student Services section of the catalog).  Additionally, a Writing Center and Math Tutoring are available to assist students seeking to improve their writing and mathematics skills.

School of Education Procedures

The School of Education has developed procedures to assist candidates (students in professional preparation programs) in meeting School and program requirements.  Candidates must be able to demonstrate the requisite knowledge, skills and dispositions of the School’s Conceptual Framework and the values of National University.  These knowledge, skills and dispositions provide a foundation for educators in today’s schools.

Within the School of Education, each program has identified knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary for specific professional responsibilities.  The knowledge, skills and dispositions are based upon the School of Education Conceptual Framework, California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) preparation standards, National Council on the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) standards, Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) standards and other professional organization standards.

Whenever a candidate begins on the Assistance Plan process, the RCPC should send notification to Maddie Alpert at malpert@nu.edu

Candidate Progress Alert

When an instructor becomes aware that a candidate needs assistance to effectively demonstrate the appropriate knowledge, skills and/or dispositions within their program, a Candidate Progress Alert will be initiated by their instructor. This is the first step in the Candidate Assistance Process that is intended to be supportive, based upon each program’s standards and individualized to the candidate. 

The Candidate Progress Alert is intended to alert the candidate to areas of performance that are deficient or may need remediation.  When a Progress Alert is initiated, the candidate and instructor will meet to develop activities to improve areas requiring attention and identify methods of assessment.

Candidate Assistance Plan

In cases where a candidate has been unable to adequately remediate deficiencies identified in a Progress Alert, the appropriate faculty member will develop a formal Candidate Assistance Plan.  The Plan will identify areas of deficiency and prescribe specific activities and/or intervention strategies the candidate will need to complete to successfully meet knowledge, skills and/or dispositions.  The faculty member will review the Plan with the candidate to ensure that the information, intervention strategies and assessment measures are clear.  A candidate’s signature on the Candidate Assistance Plan will acknowledge receipt and review of the Plan and will be maintained by the School of Education.

Steps to complete the Candidate Assistance Plan process are:

A. RCPC contacts Maddie Alpert to assist/provide feedback in developing the plan.

B. A draft of the plan is e-mailed to Maddie Alpert (malpert@nu.edu) prior to meeting with the candidate.

C. Meeting is held with the candidate, RCPC and USP to review the plan and candidate signs a copy.

D. The signed CAP form is submitted in SOAR by the Credential Program Specialist at the center.

Satisfactory Completion of Candidate Assistance Plan

Once a candidate has successfully completed the Candidate Assistance Plan, a follow up meeting is held with the candidate, RCPC and USP to review what was learned and intentions for change as they continue in their placement.  If the candidate had been removed from their placement, once the RCPC and USP are satisfied that success is possible, a new placement can be made.  In either case, the RCPC and USP write a summary of the meeting to include what the candidate learned to help him/her be successful in the next placement.  The summary is sent via e-mail to Maddie Alpert and to the Credential Program Specialist at the center.  This summary will be added to the SOAR file in order to close the process.

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Unsatisfactory Completion of Candidate Assistance Plan

When a candidate has not satisfactorily completed a Candidate Assistance Plan, the Plan, and a detailed description of activities or areas not adequately met will be forwarded by the appropriate faculty member with a recommendation to the School of Education and Office of Student Services designees. The candidate will be notified by the Dean of the School of Education regarding the candidate’s continuing status within the program and/or the School. A decision for dismissal from the program and/or the School is final and cannot be appealed.

Requesting Accommodations to a Candidate Assistance Plan

Students with disabilities who wish to apply for accommodations to a Candidate Assistance Plan (Plan) may do so through submitting an application for accommodations to the National University Office of Scholarships and Special Services (Special Services). Applications for accommodations for a disability may be requested from the Office of Scholarships and Special Services, National University, 11255 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037-1011, Phone: (858) 642-8185 . Students seeking special accommodations due to a disability must submit an application with supporting documentation to Special Services.

The application will be reviewed within fourteen (14) days of receipt by the Committee for Students with Disabilities (CSD). The CSD will engage in an interactive process with the student regarding the accommodations request and determine the appropriate accommodations to be administered during the Plan. Once the CSD determines the appropriate accommodations, written notification is sent within seven (7) days to the student and faculty responsible for the implementation of the Plan.

Following receipt of the CSD notification, the faculty responsible for implementing the Plan will schedule a formal meeting with the student to review the Plan and the approved accommodations. The timeline for completion of a Plan is halted during the accommodations application and review process, and begins following the formal meeting. If the accommodations request is not approved, the timeline for completion of the Plan begins upon receipt of the CSD’s notification letter. If a student is denied accommodation(s) or believes that the accommodation afforded is insufficient, the student may appeal to the Vice President for Student Services, who will render a decision within seven (7) days of receipt of the appeal or prior to the start date of the next course, depending on which occurs first. The decision of the vice president is final. The timeline for completion of a Plan is also halted during the appeals process.

If a student believes that accommodations approved by Special Services have not been implemented in the Plan, they should immediately contact Special Services. The timeline for completion of the Plan is halted during this process. Special Services will contact the instructor to resolve the student’s concern and ensure the approved accommodations are properly implemented. Special Services will provide the student with notification of progress, findings, or resolution within fourteen (14) days. If either the student or Special Services feel that a satisfactory resolution is not reached, the student may appeal to the Vice President for Student Services, who will render a decision within seven (7) days of receipts of the appeal. The decision of the vice president is final. If the complaint is not satisfactorily resolved at the University level, the student may choose to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, 50 Beale Street Suite 7200, SF, CA 94105, Phone: (415) 486-5555 E-mail:  ocr.sanfrancisco@ed.gov. The timeline for completion of a Plan is also halted during the appeals process.